Cara Lavan

Green background with splash of darker green saying “Small business Saturday” Below a darker green winding pathway saying “Lambeth Greens back Local Business” Green Party

Please get out today on #SmallBusinessSaturday and get your Christmas shopping done where you live. Have a wonderful time 💚👇🏼

John Swinney defends immigration as Scotland faces rise of Reform Exclusive: First minister mounts robust defence of diversity as SNP prepares campaign for Holyrood election in May

NEW: “During my lifetime Scotland has become a much more diverse country. I’m very proud of that”

Scotland’s first minister John Swinney explains why the country needs migration as Reform gather support ahead of next May’s Holyrood elections

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

🛍️ Today is #SmallBusinessSaturday.

The Green Party backs small business.

Local businesses are the lifeblood of our communities. We want to see them thrive.

Let’s green business, improve employee welfare and make it easier for people to shop local #ShopLocal

So my 'music listening' age according to Spotify, is 17 years younger than my actual age. What does this say about me?

I've been stunned that a Labour Gov't has doubled down on what the Tories started in suppressing protest.
Imagine what would be suppressed and how, if we had a Reform Government.
The Green Party will always stand up for the right to protest, no matter what your beliefs.

#rubbishdeal #fightflytippingfortnight #keepbritaintidy | Keep Britain Tidy 🎥 Did you catch Bristol City Council featured on Channel 5 during Fight Fly-Tipping Fortnight? 2 in 5 fly-tipping incidents are linked to rogue “white van” traders looking to make quick money. But if...

Good shout in this Channel 5 piece about fly tipping and how Bristol City Council is tackling it. Plus what you can do to ensure a private waste company won't just dump your waste. Nice to see Bristol's Green Cllr and Environment Chair Martin Fodor in there too.
www.linkedin.com/posts/keep-b...

Bristol's Green Party World AIDS Day Statement On World AIDS Day, Bristol Green Party stand in solidarity with all those living with HIV and remembers lives lost. In Bristol and beyond, we must challenge stigma, ensure access to testing, and guarantee that treatment is available to everyone who needs it. We also wish to draw attention to the role that gender-based violence plays in rates of HIV among women, girls and those perceived as female. While HIV is no longer a death sentence, prejudice still harms lives. We recognise that policies rooted in compassion and equality make the difference for those living with HIV. The Green Party supports policies that will end new HIV transmissions by 2030 and we continue to work for a city where everyone is safe, supported, and free from discrimination.

Statement from Bristol Green Party on World AIDS Day💚

Text says: Bristol's Green Party Stands Up to Violence Against Women & Girls Bristol Green Party marks the 16 Days of Activism by championing prevention as the key to ending violence against women and girls. Violence affects women and girls in every community and across all social classes. It is never acceptable and never inevitable. We believe prevention starts early: through education that promotes respect and teaches consent. We call for investment in community programmes that empower women, engage men as allies, and address root causes like inequality and poverty. We also remember and honour every woman, girl and perceived female whose life has been taken or harmed by violence as we work to build a Bristol where safety is universal and the default.

On this Trans Day of Remembrance, we remember the bright and courageous trans people whose lives were stolen by hatred. Their absence is felt across our city.

We will honor them by building a New York where every trans person can live safely, fully and freely.

📅Reminder that Bristol’s Budget 2026/27 consultation closes in one week.

🗣Give your views on council tax and proposals for how the Council can reduce costs and increase income in other ways to help it set a balanced and legal budget.

👉Fill out the consultation by midnight on Wednesday 26 November.

Patrick with the old broken waterfall pump (last maintained in 1990!)

Patrick standing with a Parks officer near the mostly drained pond filled with pond slime.

Today, I and other @bristolgreenparty.bsky.social councillors approved *£53,000* to refurbish the Brandon Hill ponds and get a replacement waterfall pump! 🌊

I am so happy that this site of such importance will once again flourish and flow, delighting visitors and supporting the park's wildlife. 🐸

“It is a political choice to keep children in poverty whilst billionaires and multimillionaires get richer, that’s just a fact, and any politician who says otherwise doesn’t have the public’s interests at heart.''

'Targeting hotels full of children is not the answer to our problems' Heather Mack says we must target those who have the power to make meaningful change; not vulnerable and traumatised children

Once again, anti-migrant protests are happening outside a Bristol hotel sheltering asylum seekers. As @heathermackbristol.bsky.social wrote a few weeks ago: 'Targeting hotels full of children is not the answer to our problems.'
bristol247.com/opinion/your...

Fair play to Heather for leading by example and taking this epic train journey. Of course she worked the whole time there and back on the train too.

The bridge where Whitehall Rd meets Easton Rd did NOT flood. Do we know why? Has it finally been fixed?

A family emergency meant I couldn't join the counter protest this weekend but I'm super proud of my Green Councillor colleagues who did join. At least twice as many attended as feature in this photograph.

Bristol to launch world-first ‘clean power hub’ for festivals and film crews City council and regional authority collaborate to guarantee renewable mobile energy for next summer’s festival season

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Follow! -> @greens4sudan.bsky.social

'Labour MPs should work with the council, not against, to decide the future of the EBLN' A Green councillor for St George Central responds to criticism from the MP for Bristol East

This is @caralavan.bsky.social not holding back about the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood truths.
Bristol Labour need to get on board for the scheme they instigated and voted for. www.bristol247.com/opinion/your...

'Labour MPs should work with the council, not against, to decide the future of the EBLN' A Green councillor for St George Central responds to criticism from the MP for Bristol East

Great piece by excellent ward neighbour @caralavan.bsky.social here. A few home truths for our Labour MP...
www.bristol247.com/opinion/your...

Here's my report with @zoejardiniere.bsky.social on how and why the failing Home Office should be broken up: carladenyer.co.uk/no-way-home/

Learning is an essential need Recent public narratives around asylum-seeking have focused on mostly men arriving by small boats and staying in Home Office commissioned hotels. However, what is the experience of the children and fa...

The reality for children and families living in deep poverty while receiving Home Office Asylum Support gets little attention. My article for @cpaguk.bsky.social Poverty Journal - 'Learning is an essential need' - looks at what this means for children's education cpag.org.uk/news/learnin...

It feels ridiculous to even point out that it’s not about the drugs. It has never been about the drugs. Trump wants Venezuela’s oil.
Yes, the U.S. pumps plenty of oil. But if Venezuela isn’t a competitor, we can sell it for so much more.

Never been so happy by being proven to be not ambitious enough - when I read the political strategy motion and said “150,000 members” never did I imagine it would happen to quickly!
Welcome to all the new members 👋
Here’s hoping we’ll hit 200,000 by the new year 🤩

Zack Polanski confirms Green Party would aim to take UK back into the EU Zack Polanski has confirmed that the Green Party would look to take the UK back into the European Union if they were in power.

Because no one else has the political guts to say it, we will: #Brexit was an utter unmitigated disaster, foisted upon us by charlatans and conmen and we are demonstrably worse off now than if we had stayed in by every conceivable measure.
#RejoinEU
www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/zac...

Send reform in England pushed back to 2026 The government says it needs more time to test proposals for the special educational needs system.

First the government kick adult social care reform into the long grass. Now this: leaving councils desperately trying not to cut other services. The Labour gov't had the chance to seize the moment and blew it. Children, the elderly & their carers will pay the price. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

As Patrick says, Bristol is beginning to see the benefits of Green governance. Another area of progress is the securing of 54 new specialist places for neurodivergent children at Henbury Ct & St Annes Infants &nursery. We know how out at sea many SEND families feel, and we are doing what we can.

Maddening that no government has the balls to tackle this.

Source for figures and further information: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...

4/4 The best way to reduce overdose deaths would be to legalise AND REGULATE the illicit drug market (while avoiding corporate capture). However, in the short term, we desperately need harm reduction to be implemented since drug policy based on zero tolerance is unrealistic & counterproductive.